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  1. S

    Krishna and Maya

    Salix is right. It simply means making a choice between chasing material goals vs. spiritual. I don't think it is as simple as the Hare Krishnas make it out to be. For most people, it is necessary to be doing both. I heard this line over the weekend - everyone wants to go to heaven, but no...
  2. S

    The History of Advaita

    The simplest option is Wikipedia. For more depth, there are various books (Winternitz, Dasgupta, etc).
  3. S

    The History of Advaita

    Hi Salix, Atman here is the Jivatma (the embodied soul) and all branches of Vedanta are aligned on the transmigration of the Jivatma on account of its Karma. Atman is also used to mean Paramatma and here Advaita differs from the others. Advaita holds that the Jivatama is Paramatma and...
  4. S

    The History of Advaita

    This is not linear. Brahman comes from Vedic/Vedantic tradition while the Trimurti concept comes from the Puranas - the latter catering more to the general public, while the former was strictly confined to educated Brahmins and royal Kshatriyas. Though, there is some overlap, they are two...
  5. S

    The History of Advaita

    Advaita - like other mainstream Vedanta systems - separates the Atman from the body. 1. The Atman has no beginning and no end. 2. The Atman has Karma attached to it; Karma has no beginning, but it does have an end Advaita differs from other Vedanta systems in the identity of the Atman. Other...
  6. S

    The History of Advaita

    It may help if you describe how your analogy applies to souls and Brahman. Advaita denies the multiplicity of souls - which unfortunately is a logical contradiction for Vedanta asserts the reality of a soul in bondage and its eventual liberation. But in the case of Advaita, there is no...
  7. S

    The History of Advaita

    The founder is Shankara. He is the founder because he is the author of the Advaita commentary on the Brahma Sutras. Shankara's earliest critics noted that Shankara deviated from the long running traditional interpretation of Vedanta by introducing Buddhist themes. Therefore, the...
  8. S

    Without God there is no hope

    What works for me - is the acceptance that pain is an integral and unavoidable part of living. Belief or lack thereof in God does not change this fact. The only obstacle to the above (as I see it) is not everyone has the same troubles. This can make it difficult for us to accept our realities...
  9. S

    Do animals have souls?

    Eddi, No humans I know have eaten any type of “forbidden” fruit.
  10. S

    Krishna - Historical or mythological?

    No.
  11. S

    Krishna - Historical or mythological?

    Unlike Egyptian, etc, we do know how Vedic Sanskrit sounds. The ancient Vedic priests developed pada patha or fidelity models to preserve the chants. The tradition of chanting has survived to this day through an unbroken chain. They were so effective that when European scholars took interest in...
  12. S

    Is Human Life of Greater Value Than That of Other Species?

    There is no magic. Ramana did take meds. For instance, he had knee pain for which he regularly used oils and/or balms. Check the book "Day by Day with Bhagavan". Everyone has a certain level of tolerance to physical pain after which they seek some form of relief. True for all people, including...
  13. S

    Is Human Life of Greater Value Than That of Other Species?

    Perhaps we are wired to value our own species more than others. I see physical proximity matters the same way. We value people closer to us more than people who we do not know or are geographically distant. For example, a single fatal accident or killing in my neighborhood is more real and...
  14. S

    Suffering and evil

    Is this a Christian belief? I was thinking the belief is people who keep their faith go to the Christian version of heaven and within this heaven, there aren’t levels. So, how do some people get “rewarded greatly”?
  15. S

    no religion is the only truth, but truth is found in them all

    Disagree. There is no truth in any of them; we made these religions up and cleverly attributed them to divine sources - to lend them credibility. It was a human who told you he was "divinely inspired". You only have his words to go by. That makes it human-made.
  16. S

    None have Suffered More

    Yes. That is the theist dilemma I have seen with people around me. On one hand, they all see that their God/gods do not intervene in their lives. But this is hard to accept and so they continue with their prayers and hopes for protection, solutions to problems and miracles.
  17. S

    None have Suffered More

    Tony, why do you think it works? For example, Jesus's suffering has failed to alleviate the suffering of Christians. They suffer too (cancer, fatal accidents, death, depression, etc) - no different than non-Christian or even atheists. A few years ago, a bunch of people praying in a Church were...
  18. S

    Bahai is correct about God in my opinion

    I see them as two entirely different belief sets - with no intersection. One does not have the concept of reincarnation and the other does not have the concept of judgement. And therefore, neither of them can be considered Universal.
  19. S

    Is there any such verse in Gita?

    No. But it is possible that some commentaries may use these words.
  20. S

    Bahai is correct about God in my opinion

    That is an Abrahamic view. The Hindu just reincarnates and there is no judge. This is why the Abrahamic God is not a universal God nor are the other beliefs associated with this God. But I can see why it would appear Universal to someone who always held some Abrahamic belief (Christian...
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